Opposites Attract
by WinglessTenshii
Summary: Ino and Neji were never close. They were above acquaintances but they couldn't exactly be called friends either. So why was she becoming so aware of him? Why was her heart beating so fast around him? Must be the weather. It had to be. (Sucky Summary haha what can I say I'm no good at those lol :P)
1. Chapter 1

Yamanaka Ino sighed loudly as she aimlessly walked along the busy streets of Konohagakure, something she hadn't done in a while and since the flower shop closed early today, she decided to use that to her advantage. Her last customer that day had been Naruto, and too see him walk nervously into the shop with a slight blush on his face to order some flowers was, Ino had to admit, quite cute not to mention shocking because he never bothered to step foot in the shop before much less to order flowers. She wanted to tease him till thy kingdom come but unfortunately, he already looked way to uncomfortable and to make that worse would be torture.

When Ino had left the shop earlier she didn't expect to end up wandering around the village like a lost, mindless puppy but yet she ended up unconsciously embracing the act because all of her friends were either out on missions or were occupied with far more important things than hanging out with her. Shikamaru was somewhere about the place with Temari who was visiting from Suna for business and Chouji was with his dad having some sort of clan training. She sighed again.

"I wonder if Neji is back from his mission yet." The blonde mused out loud, her index finger tapping her chin gently.

"Wait…why do I even care?!" She questioned herself, eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she gave a frustrated grunt. Ino didn't know why but ever since the war she had been thinking a tad bit too much of the Hyuuga boy than she would've liked. Even though he was alive now she couldn't help the way she was plagued by his death back then and sometimes even now. And that was almost three years ago! She had started to become more aware of him than before, noticing subtle things that she never did and trying her best at getting him to open up more and lose the I've-got-a-stick-up-my-ass attitude, not that it was really working of course. Neji was…_difficult_. But that only meant that she had to try harder.

"The hell am I thinking? If he wants to act like he's got a stick up his rear every minute, what the heck does that have to do with me?!" She argued with herself.

"Who's acting like they've got a stick up their ass?"_Speak of the devil_ Ino thought as she jolted out of her perpetual stupor and swiveled her body so fast to face the owner of the familiar voice, that if she wasn't a trained shinobi, she would've fallen to the ground like a helpless fool.

"N…N…Neji!" She exclaimed, eyes wide and her heart beating rapidly from being startled, though that wasn't the only reason.

"You…You startled me!" She backed up, pointing an accusing finger in his direction before she calmed and let a sigh of relief escape through her lips.

"Did I now?" Neji smirked, regarding her silently before continuing, "…I do apologize for that. Startling you wasn't my intention." Ino wanted to ask the brunet what exactly his intentions were but quickly decided against it, opting to ask him something else instead.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Well…if I'm not mistaken, I live here. So the question is…what are you doing here Yamanaka-san?" He queried ruefully and a small grin graced his face but disappeared as soon as it appeared that Ino could've sworn she'd imagine it. She internally giggled at the way he addressed her. She was always amused with the way he addressed her so formally. It was weird to hear someone call her Yamanaka-san when most people just called her Ino. Begrudgingly, Ino silently admitted that she wanted him to call her Ino. Naruto was such a lucky bastard.

"Huh? You live where…" The girl trailed off, finally noticing her surroundings and realizing how far her feet had strayed while she was caught up in the depths of her own mind. She was standing in front of the entrance to the Hyuuga compound.

"Oooooh…" She sounded out trying to avoid the Jounin's face which she was sure possessed a smirk

"Did you by chance want to speak with Lady Hinata?" Neji asked with a grave expression. Ino swallowed hard with the sudden change in his not too long ago, playful tone of voice.

"No…I was only passing by." She provided with a small smile.

"Really?" He arched a lone eyebrow in her direction and she looked at him with a small frown.

"Yeah." She answered indifferently.

"Is that so?" Now he was pushing her buttons! Why was he making it sound like she was lying when she knew she wasn't? Straightening her stance, Ino placed her hand on her hips, taking on a serious demeanor and opened her mouth to get ready to tell Neji just how far that stick was up his ass but he beat her to the talking.

"…Because as far as I know, walking around the compound about four times is not really considered 'passing by'…" He commented sardonically and Ino gasped, mouth hanging open, the words on her tongue that were itching to make its way out in volumes now forgotten.

"Four times?! I did not…wait…or maybe I did. I don't know but what's it to you?" She challenged voraciously, pale blue eyes firm and serious, meeting with white ones that were calm and collected.

"I think it would worry anyone from any clan or not, if a stranger was roaming around their grounds. You never can tell what their hidden agenda might be. And personally, though I think everyone shares my sentiment, it's better to be safe than sorry…" Ino wanted to agree with him but decided not to because she wasn't roaming and she wasn't a stranger! So she just stood there motionless, gaping like a fish.

"You know, it's not polite to stare, especially with your mouth hanging open like that." He pointed out in mock humor and Ino closed her mouth and looked away, forcing back an embarrassed blush that was threatening to shamelessly cover her cheeks, in futile attempt that is.

"Oh yeah?! Well-" the blonde was about to finish her retort but was cut of rather rudely by a stiff looking Neji. _Heh. Must be that stick again! _She thought with a silent laugh.

"I was just about to indulge myself in a bowl of ramen, would you like to join me since you obviously have nothing better to do…" Ino thought of a whole lot of answers she could've responded with but instead she let a sultry smile grace her face._ A little teasing could never hurt, right?_

"You know Neji, you might want to watch how you asked that question, because my little mind might get the wrong idea and think that you're asking me out on a date." She warned, walking ahead of him and then paused to look at his still form from over her shoulders. The Hyuuga grinned unrepentantly and in no time was at her side.

"Maybe I am…" Ino couldn't hold back the blush this time and a nice flaming shade of red covered her cheeks. Was he really? Was he really asking her out on a date?! The thought alone made her heart speed up, much to her distaste. She didn't even realize that she had stopped walking and was eyeing the ground intently. What was this? This strange feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Neji asking her out. Could…Could it be? Could it be that- Her thoughts were interjected by Neji's voice.

"But there's no need to worry, it's not a date so stop your mind from getting the wrong idea at once." And the little chibi Ino flying around in joy in her head as mercilessly shot down. Not wanting to show that his words affected her, though she didn't understand why they did, she looked up at him and grinned.

"Well that's a shame…" She brushed his shoulder gently with hers, walking slightly ahead of him missing the low guttural sound his throat made. Now that her fun was over and they fell into an unbearable silence, Ino forced herself to break it, though a small part of her wanted Neji to be the one to do it.

"Say Neji?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't know you liked ramen…I always thought that it was a Naruto thing…" She told him with a small smile, remembering the flustered blond from earlier.

"There are quite a lot of things you don't know about me," He responded and she pondered on his answer a little before responding herself. "…so it seems…" She stole a quick glance at him before looking ahead as they fell into silence once more. His face was expressionless like it always was, his eyes unreadable. She never knew what he was thinking or could never tell for that matter but it always comforted her to know that she wasn't the only one.

"I actually do like ramen…but I don't eat as much of it or as frequently as Naruto does. He just takes it to a whole new level." She heard him say after some time and her head jerked toward his face in surprise. She had honestly thought the conversation dead. And then she smiled warmly.

"Naruto takes everything to a whole other level…" Ino was glad. She was glad that Neji had actually opened up enough to share something about himself with her. He was comfortable enough to share a part of himself with her and she quite liked it, silently hoping that if he opened up again, it would also be with her.

"Arigatou, Neji."

"For what?"

"Just…thank you…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the hella late update...there were just a lot of things going on hehe...so here's the next chappie :) I hope you all like it ^_^

Also, I would like to say thank you to all those who reviewed/followed/favourited this story. It means a lot to me so thank you again! Enjoy ! :p

**Chapter 2**

"Yamanaka-san, aren't you going to order anything?" Neji asked after they'd seated and he placed his order, causing Ino to cringe as she paled a little.

"E…Eh? Me? No thank you, I'm not hungry…" She insisted, but her stomach begged to differ when it growled, loud enough for the boy sitting next to her to hear. She flushed in embarrassment, sputtering something incomprehensible to her own ears. What was going on with her? She wanted to curse, but her muddled head faced with embarrassment couldn't form the words. The blonde's ears suddenly perked up when he heard a stifling sound coming from her companion and when she turned to look at him, it turned into a series of coughs.

"Neji? Are you alright?" She asked sincerely but then her brow twitched when she realized, though he hid it well, that he was laughing at her. How the hell could someone laugh while keeping a straight face? Ino idly wondered. Well…he wasn't called a genius for nothing.

"I'm fine…" He cleared his throat, taking a sip of water that he'd also ordered. Ino's stomach growled once more and she sighed, regretting the fact that she didn't pick up any money when she decided to roam the village earlier on, but how could she have known she would end up here…with _Neji _of all people.

"Do you not want me to pay for you so much that you'd go to the extent of not eating when you're clearly hungry?" He asked her, his tone even and serious and she was surprised that he read the situation so well, that he knew everything without her having to say a word. She smiled but then it slowly turned into a smirk; her bout of teasing wasn't over yet.

"And you said it wasn't a date…" She murmured as she turned her full profile to him, crossing her legs carefully, tapping a finger against her chin in playful thought.

"It's not…unless you want to pay for yourself?" It was his turn to smirk and Ino rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Fine, you got me there but don't think I take losing so easily…I don't like to lose so I'll have my revenge." She stated with vindication and she swore for the briefest moment that she saw a slight quirk of his lips. Then she mentally sighed, shaking her head because this was Neji and, the possibility of that happening was next to none. It was getting tiresome the way her brain played tricks with her when a certain Hyuuga was involved…she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Hn…" He took another sip of his water-was it that tasty?-and then turned back to her. "So…what will you be having?"

"I'll have the same as you, if you please." Ino offered a smile his way but it went in vain since he turned away from her to order her meal. A little while after, their meals arrived and they sat in silence as they ate, the blonde taking swift glances at the brunet, admiring the contours of his perfectly sculpted face as he ate. Her pulse quickened as she stared, her cheeks getting more heated as the seconds ticked on. Neji couldn't possibly be the cause of this right? Ino thought but then she giggled. No way in hell. The weather was hot out so that had to be the cause.

"I feel very uncomfortable eating while you stare at me like that, if there's something on my face please let me know, Yamanaka-san," Neji turned to face her and their eyes caught, causing Ino's breath to get caught in her throat. She'd always known how pretty his eyes were, hell everyone in the Hyuuga clan had them so she was used to it by now, but seeing it so close up locked with her own pale blue ones had her trapped. The girl chuckled sheepishly.

"No it's not that, I just wanted to ask you a question but it's a stupid one," She said nervously, wracking her brain as much as she could for a question to ask.

"No question is a stupid question once you can learn from it," he deadpanned, a solemn expression covering his face.

"Oh? I wanted to ask what shampoo you use to get your hair looking so flawless. I mean, seriously…do you know how much I have to do to get this?" She pointed to her own hair with an exasperated sigh and then she noted that this was really the most she ever heard from Neji. They'd been on countless missions together, in a group of course, but aside from giving out orders, he was like a moving wall…He never said anything unless it was absolutely necessary, no matter how many times Ino tried to strike up conversations with him…and boy did she try. She might as well have been talking to herself. Maybe he just didn't like talking to other people? Or socializing on a whole? Why were genius' so aloof and anti-social? The questions bombarded her mind one after the other, Hyuuga Neji the center of them all.

"I don't use any in particular," He stated after a moment of thought, ripping her out of her own thoughts easily.

"Eh? Really? I'm envious…" Ino trailed off. It was really unfair though, Neji put little to no effort in his hair and yet it always looked so perfect but hers on the other hand… Suddenly there was a loud explosion like sound that rocked the village and at once, like clockwork, both Neji and Ino, as shinobis of Konoha, were on guard ramen forgotton.

"What do you think-"

"It came from the Intel Unit…" Neji stated abruptly, his byakugan activated, cutting her off but she didn't have time to get angry or retort, and instead her feet began to move of their own accord.

"Yamanaka-san, where do you think you're…?" The words got lost on his tongue, almost as if he'd read her mind. _My dad._

"Wait. Yamanaka-san. You can't be hasty, you don't know what's going on," Neji spoke, keeping up with her pace.

"I don't care!" She yelled, but no sooner than she had said the words, she was hauled back by her hands by a rather composed looking Neji.

"I said don't be hasty, just calm down and let's assess the situation," He stated and she hesitated biting down on her lip so hard she was surprised she didn't taste any blood. Muttering an agreement, Ino took a deep breath in order to calm down and then she saw a flash of pink before her eyes on the ground below coming from the direction of the Intel Unit

"Sakura?" The blond called out questioningly and the pinkette looked up, smiling upon seeing her friend.

"Ino-Pig! I've been looking all over for you! Did you forget that you were supposed to help out at the hospital today?" Her friend reminded her not so gently and Ino muttered a few curses under her breath. How could she forget? And then she remembered why she did, turning around to glare at Neji; the Hyuuga quite unfazed by her act.

"Oh, Neji-san…Good Afternoon." Sakura greeted Neji as if she only just saw him there and he only nodded in response. Ino didn't fail to notice the loss of contact when Neji quickly let go of her hand upon Sakura's arrival and then her glare was directed at her friend instead.

"Sakura-san, we heard an explosion just a minute ago, I'm assuming nothing's wrong since you seem to be so calm?" Neji spoke, his voice authoritative.

"Oh that…Some academy kids were playing with some paper bombs they got their hands on. Iruka-sensei already caught up with them so there's nothing to worry about." Sakura informed and Neji nodded once more in understanding.

"No one was hurt right?" Ino asked tentatively, and the shake of Sakura's head had relief swarming over the blonde. She heard a scoff from behind her but quickly ignored it getting Neji's message loud and clear. _You would've rushed there for nothing._

"Anyway, are you still coming Ino-pig? Or do you have more important things to do?" Sakura gave Ino a wink and the girl almost blushed. _Almost._ Instead she answered with a quick 'yeah'. She would not give the pinkette any sign or signal for her to read too much into her and Neji being together. Her and Neji being together…that sounded so intimate…Ino quickly scoffed, dismissing those horrendous thoughts from her head before turning to Neji, never missing a beat when it came to teasing him.

"So are you going to hold my hand once more and accompany me to the hospital?" She put on her most innocent face, batting her lashes in an exaggerated fashion, her hands clasped together under her chin as if to show that she was begging.

"Goodbye, Yamanaka-san…" he said bluntly, completely ignoring her previous question.

"Oh Neji…you just officially ruined our date," The blond pouted, faking a cry.

"It wasn't a date." His face was stoic but Ino didn't miss the slight twitch of his brow. Was he getting aggravated? Was he going to explode in her face and tell her off? As bad as it would be if he did, Ino couldn't help but want it to happen. At least he'd seem less of a wall if he did.

"So you keep saying but I'm afraid I beg to differ…"

"Hn…" Was his response and then he disappeared leaving the girl standing on the roof cursing his self-control and top notch composure. With a sigh, Ino leapt down to her friend's side.

"What was that all about?" Sakura gave her a knowing smile and Ino trying to mask her disappointment let out a loud bark of laughter.

"You're always reading too much into things Billboard-brow…" With that and the serious sound of her voice Sakura looked at her with a face filled with confusion.

"I was just teasing him like I do with everyone else…" The blonde's shoulders slouched a bit but it went unnoticed by her pink haired friend as they strolled to the hospital.

"You need to stop doing that Ino…or you'll never get a boyfriend. Or are you still pining after Sasuke?"

"Honestly Sakura…it's way too early for jokes and not because you and Lee are hitting it off well means that you're suddenly an expert in the love department…" Ino snorted, knocking shoulders with her friend before they broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Hey…I'm only trying to offer some friendly advice, you know…give you a push in the right direction." Sakura made a pushing motion with her hand and Ino smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes…it didn't reach anywhere as a matter of fact. It was just dry and albeit a bit lonely.

"Which is the right direction?" The girl muttered to herself.

"What did you say?" The pinkette asked and Ino shook her head maintain her composure.

"That's why you should've listened carefully the first time Billboard-Brow! What I said was…IF PATIENTS WERE WAITING ON US TO SAVE THEIR LIVES, THEY'D BE DEAD BY THE TIME WE REACHED WITH THE PACE WE'RE MOVING AT!" Ino shouted in her ears and soon both girls were running a mile a minute to get to the hospital, their laughter echoing behind them as they went.


End file.
